Scrapping

While the automobile industry has suggested to the government that financial incentive should come from it to accelerate the plan to phase out polluting commercial vehicles that are more than 15 years, the government wants the industry to offer some discount to new buyers as it would boost their sales.

India is the world's largest beneficiary of the GSP, dating from the 1970s, but trade ties with the U.S. have widened over what Trump calls its high tariffs and concerns over New Delhi's e-commerce policies.

The government on Wednesday said it has no intention to bring a mandatory policy for phasing out old vehicles. It has done away with the concept of “scrapping” and the policy being finalised will be named as “Voluntary Vehicle Modernisation” scheme, road transport minister Nitin Gadkari said; meaning vehicle owners will have the choice to keep the old vehicle or surrender it.

In order to exhibit the model stretches of national highways as per norms, NHAI plans to develop 57 stretches of NH (1,735 kms) across the length and breadth of the country near each state capital, the NHAI official said. These model stretches will serve as a platform to instruct the highway engineers.